MLB Player News

Walker (knee) will start in right field and bat sixth in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto.

Inflammation in Walker's left knee forced him out of the Cards' exhibition game March 5, and he has been sidelined ever since. After more than a week of rehab, he'll now return to competitive action before the end of the Grapefruit League schedule, keeping his availability for Opening Day intact. Walker has been a non-factor at the plate this spring, however, going just 2-for-14 with two RBI and eight strikeouts over six contests.

Manager Clayton McCullough said Saturday that Sanchez (side) will begin the season on the injured list, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

Sanchez was pulled from Thursday's Grapefruit League game due to an issue with his left side in what was initially labeled as a precautionary move. However, the outfielder's injury will ultimately cause him to miss the start of the regular season, and it's currently unclear if he'll be ready to return once eligible April 6. With Sanchez out, Griffin Conine will likely be the next man up to serve as the Marlins' Opening Day right fielder.

Wynns' chances of making the roster improved this week after injuries to Tyler Stephenson (oblique) and Jose Trevino (hand), Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

In the span of three days, Wynns went from the outside looking in to appearing to have a spot on the Opening Day roster. Trevino's injury is less severe than Stephenson, who is facing a multiple-week absence, so Wynns may be the primary backup. The Reds could also scan the market for veteran catchers.

Leahy has spun eight scoreless innings with a 9:1 K:BB during Grapefruit League play this spring.

Leahy is competing with Nick Anderson, Chris Roycroft and Riley O'Brien for one of the final two spots in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen. Perhaps working in Leahy's favor, in addition to his fine work this spring, is that he's shown the ability to go multiple frames, whereas the other three competitors are more one-inning relievers. Each of Leahy's last three outings this spring were two innings apiece, and he recorded more than three outs in 20 of his 33 appearances last season for St. Louis.

Manager Derek Shelton informed Skenes on Saturday that he will start Opening Day against the Marlins.

After he turned in a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 23 starts last season en route to being named the NL Rookie of the Year, it hardly comes as a surprise that Skenes will take the hill for Pittsburgh's first regular-season game. The 22-year-old star hasn't quite matched those numbers this spring (3.60 ERA, 1.70 WHIP), though his 12 strikeouts in 10 innings suggests he's primed for another fantastic season. He'll have the advantage of pitching against a Marlins lineup that finished with the second-worst OPS in the NL last season (.678) and projects to remain weak in '25.

O'Brien tossed a scoreless inning Friday versus the Mets after being unavailable for more than two weeks due to right elbow soreness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

O'Brien said his elbow "flared up" after his second spring outing Feb. 26, but he did not go for tests because the elbow responded immediately to rest and treatment. While the reliever was unconcerned about the issue, it should be noted that he missed much of the 2024 campaign with a flexor strain. The Cardinals will wait to see how O'Brien's elbow bounces back from Friday's appearance before scheduling his next outing. O'Brien is in the running for one of the final spots in the St. Louis bullpen.

The Dodgers optioned Feduccia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Feduccia remains with the club in Japan on the 31-man travel roster but has officially been removed from the major-league roster. The 27-year-old made his big-league debut down the stretch last year and went 4-for-12 in five games, but he isn't likely to see much action in 2025 if Will Smith and Austin Barnes stay healthy.

Roycroft is one of four competitors eyeing one of the final two spots in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Nick Anderson, Kyle Leahy and Riley O'Brien are the others in the mix. Roycroft has put his best foot forward to claim one of the jobs, tossing six scoreless frames with a 5:1 K:BB during Grapefruit League play. The 6-foot-8 right-hander excelled at limiting hard contact last season with a 33.7 percent hard-hit rate and two percent barrel rate, but he'll need to find a weapon against left-handed batters after they had a .955 OPS against him in 2024. If Roycroft makes the Opening Day roster, it's likely to be as a middle reliever initially.

Smith hit a solo home run and walked over two plate appearances in Friday's spring game against Cincinnati.

The Diamondbacks fielded what looked like a potential regular-season lineup Friday, but the lefty-hitting Smith did not start against a right-hander. Instead, manager Torey Lovullo had Jake McCarthy at designated hitter while Alek Thomas was in center field. To this point in spring training, it's widely been assumed that Smith would be the lefty component at DH against right-handers, and that McCarthy and Thomas were in a battle to start in center field. That still may be the case, and no conclusions should be drawn from this one spring contest. Smith has homered in two consecutive Cactus League games and is batting .259/.375/.856 through 32 plate appearances.

Rodriguez struck out six over 3.2 hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Reds.

Rodriguez retired all 11 batters he faced on 44 pitches (29 strikes) in his second Cactus League outing. The Reds played split-squad games Friday and did not have their best nine on the field, but Rodriguez was sharp and pleased with all his offerings. "Feel like everything (worked), it's one of those days you don't want to come out," Rodriguez told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "Everything I was throwing was just going right where I wanted." He should get another two spring starts before taking his first turn in the regular season.